Nicaragua becomes second nation to recognize breakaway Georgian republics

Contrary to common belief, Russia is not the only nation to recognize the Georgian breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Both republics declared their independence in the early 1990s while engaging in armed confrontations with Georgian government forces. Following the 2008 South Ossetia War, Russia extended formal recognition of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia, giving considerable boost to pro-independence voices in the two regions. On September 5, 2008, Nicaragua became only the world’s second country to formally recognize the two tiny republics of the Caucasus. On November 29, Georgia responded to Nicaragua’s recognitions by suspending diplomatic ties with the government of Daniel Ortega. In light of Dmitri Medvedev’s recent historic tour of Latin American capitals, it will be interesting to see whether the remaining member-states of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), namely Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Honduras, and Dominica, will also side with Russia in recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia. [JF]

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